so i decided to take a look at my inner pass side rotor today due to squeeking that has been driving me nuts this weekend...it started friday and its not getting any better. i noticed that the inner brake pad was wearing uneven and it made sort of a lip around the rotor and thats what was causing it to squeek..then i decided to look at the rotor and wow! ...look at this!? . sorry the pics arent clear, but the inside section is thicker then the outside. and its making my brake pad all uneven.. hm maybe thats why my brakes always sucked so bad. What do you guys suggest . id rather get new rotors then get these cut, so rotors and brake pads ?

 

Take a good look at the caliper too. make sure the slides move freely. Maybe it was installed wrong, or it is defective.

 

how can i make sure it moves freely? , sorry im not sure what "slides " are

 

Replace the calipers. For $13 a piece for new ones, you can't go wrong. Be sure to use that brake lubricant stuff that the Autozone guy will ring up and throw in the bag without telling you since you're paying the $.99 for it anyways

 

roger that. are they 13 a piece new or are they refurbished...cant stand buying refurbished things that are spray painted balck from autozone. how are semi metalic brakes on slotted rotors ?

 

Just buy the refurbs. They've been on GM cars since the 70s and maybe earlier. There have been enough of these calipers refurbed that someone could probably do it in their sleep.

Slotted rotors aren't worth the extra money unless you really want to show off your brakes. Just go with whatever pad you feel like paying for that isn't the cheapest pad there. Buy the super cheaps and your wheels will look like someone's dumping pencil shavings on them daily.

 

really? well my cars brakes were always horrible. I mean i can stop better with my friends van!. My brother bought some slotted for his grand am and i really like the way they feel, the difference is like nigiht and day. I really dont care about brake dust i just want my car to be safer then it is now. I have been driving like this for a whole year now. Thank *** i only got into one small bumper to bumper accident , which could of been avoided if my damn car stoped descently.

 

Did your brother change pads at the same time? If so, that's where his braking improvement came from.

 

yes he did, but his pads were thick to begin with before he changed rotors. His car braked well before now they brake better!

 

Just having pad left is not the only thing to consider. Pad compound plays a huge part in how well the car will stop.

 

Slotted rotors = useless for street driving. In fact, I didn't like mine. They made too much noise. My C4HD brakes now are just about silent when stopping.

Instead of spending a ton of money on useless slotted rotors, take the money you save and buy the best daily driver pad you can afford.

Or you can just do an entire brake swap You could do an entire LS1 swap with Earl's stainless braided lines for under $300. That doesn't include new anything else though. Add a few bucks more for good pads. But I bet that's about the same price you'd spend on slotted rotors..

 

If you want to go slotted rotors, don't let anyone talk you out of them. They do serve a purpose, even on the street. The slots help clean the pad, which will help with braking. Now as for pads, don't skimp on them!! If you go to an Autozone or other parts place, tell them you are looking for a performance pad. Though they might set you back an extra $15-30 depending on whose they are, you will decrease your stopping distance. When you say that your car has poor braking ability already, I tend to think you have other brake issues too. I have put cheap pads and rotors on a 3rd gen before, and had no issues (except when doing multiple high speed stops). You should check your rear brakes, and make sure they are properly adjusted. Though the rears only do 30-40% of the work...it is a noticable amount!! Then if you have not done so (after replacing your front calipers), use a turkey baster to suck out the old brake fluid from the master cylinder. Refil with fresh DOT3 or DOT4 (DOT4 has a higher heat resistance), then bleed the entire brake system!!! I would bet that all of your stopping issues could be solved by doing the above!! Good luck!

 

FYI I just ordered Hawk pads from Thunder racing for $38+shipping. Better than anything at Checker/Autozone and cheaper than most as well.

 

i bled the system about a few months ago , i plan on using some bendix brake pads i have laying around from last time i ordered..they seem to have sent me more then i asked for and only charged me once! . . what are your opinons on them

 

Which Bendix pads? I only ask because I work for a Bendix distributor. If ther are MKD***, you should be ok. Though they are not an aggresive pad. Stay away from the PMD***, or anything labled as Bendix Global. That line is there very budget line...After two stops from 60, the fade is terrible!! Now if the are standard blue box, they are right there with any other manufacturers standard pad. Now if they are a MKD***FM, they are a more aggresive pad, and should work very well for you. Just don't forget to check your rears!!!

 

yeh there mkd's... definately, i was reading a way to adjust the rear, i remember last time i got my brakes done the mechanic told me that no one ever adjusted the rear. the drums adjusting hole was blocked so he broke it and adjusted it, but then a few days later i felt that my brakes werent the same, they were good but not as good as when he adjust the rears. i was reading a few threads before and found out how to do it inside ... ima give it a try, freaking rain , i have half a garage so this is gona be fun

 

so i finally got done, took me freaking long enough, lack of space in half a one car garage and driving back and forth to autozone to replace 2 calipers because they were leaking when i connected the hose..the car is in desperate need of a bleed, pedal is all the way on the floor, resevoir is a lil less then half. now i just have to make sure the cats dont sit on my hood tonight.

 

if your rear brakes have never been touched...your adjusters might be frozen...which is why they are not adusting on there own. If they are not to rusty, you can clean them up with a wire brush and some brake clean. Then apply a light coat of anti-sieze to the threads and the one end that can come off (which more than likely is stuck on at the moment!!). You might want to go as far as replacing the rear hardware as well (springs and holdowns). However, that gets a little involved if you have never done drum brakes before. Oh, other major thing....never allow the master cylinder to go empty!!! It is a major pain in the a** to bleed a master!!

 

does the E brake have anything to do with how good the rear brakes are adjusted.. because my rear brakes lock when i slam on the E brake. i bled the system, i finally have some pedal now, i just have to wait for the pads/rotors to break in,

 

Well, if your E-brake is grabing without having to pull the handle all the way up, chances are your rear brakes are adjusted at least to the point of working when you hit the pedal. Though you can adjust the E-brake without adjusting the rear brakes themselves. If you have popped off the drums already, make sure nothing is leaking back there. Check both the wheel cylinder and the axle seal. If the axle seals leak, that would explain how easy it is to lock up the rears with the parking brake. If the wheel cylinders leak...well then you can have all sorts of braking issues!!

 

i popped off the drums. i didnt see any leaking, but i didnt really look at the axle seal and wheel cylinder, gona check that. Even though i think i would of noticed it, i can almost picture my rearend so many times i been under there.

 

You would notice with a quick glance if the axle seal was leaking...the cylinder sometimes takes a little more looking...but it sounds like everything is ok there too

 

cool , thanks alot for ur help bro

 

no problem...just get that car safe to drive!! We don't need to lose anymore to accidents.